


Your Eyes (Are Holding Up the Sky)

by elemie89



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Basketball, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, I repeat they're 18, Library Sex, Loss of Virginity, Secret Relationship, lets pretend I know anything about sportsball, yes they're 18
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-05-30
Packaged: 2020-01-15 00:39:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18487723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elemie89/pseuds/elemie89
Summary: Ben Solo life is falling apart (as much as one high school senior's life can) - he's failing Pre-Calculus, has been put on academic probation, and can't play on the basketball team until he pulls his grades up. When he's assigned a tutor, he thinks this will be an unmitigated disaster. Life has other plans.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Dagagada](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dagagada/gifts).



> Daga, thank you for this adorable prompt and I hope it's ok I modified it slightly *crosses fingers*. Thank you for being such an incredible, supportive presence in our community. Love you and hope you love this story. 
> 
> Also, thanks to my betas for keeping this hush-hush. A very special shout out to one of my mystery betas who made my moodboard.

[](https://imgur.com/V1aeMZe)

 

**June 2007**

 

_ Thwack.  _

 

The sting of her hand landed across his face.  _ That’s definitely going to leave a mark _ , Ben Solo thought, rubbing his cheek. He’s fairly certain the music has stopped and people have started staring. He hazards a quick glance around and sighs. People have definitely started staring. 

 

If this were a movie, the sound of a record scratch would be heard, the picture would stop, and Ben would assume the role of narrator. 

 

“Yeah, that’s me,” he’d begin. “You’re probably wondering how I got in this situation…” 

 

But how did Ben Solo get in this position? Well, to understand all that, you’d have to go back in time four months. 

 

****

 

**February 2007 - Four Months Earlier**

 

Ben Solo had been summoned to his guidance counselor, Ms. Holdo’s, office. His long frame was slouched in the small metal chair and his arms were crossed. His father, Han Solo, was sitting in the chair next to him. 

 

“Any idea why we’re here, kid?” Han asked, breaking the silence that had descended upon the room. 

 

Ben shrugged. “Beats me.” 

 

He knew his father had only made the trek up to Chandrila Prep because his mother was unavailable when Ben’s guidance counselor called the house to make sure a parent would be present for the meeting. 

 

“Hey guys! Sorry I’m late,” Mrs. Holdo said in a harried tone, carrying a stack of folder as she entered the room. “Mr. Solo, thank you for coming down here.” 

 

“Not a problem,” Han replied. “What’s this all about?” 

 

“Well,” Ms. Holdo began, sitting and smoothing out her skirt. “I’ll be blunt, Ben’s failing Pre-Calc.” 

 

“And?” Ben challenged. “I have all the credits to graduate. I can fail it.” 

 

Ms. Holdo sighed in exasperation. “Ben, that means I have to put you on academic probation.” 

 

Ben closed his eyes and sighed. “So I can’t play basketball?” 

 

Ms. Holdo pursed her lips. “No.” 

 

“But Ben can fix this, right?” Han offered. 

 

Ms. Holdo nodded. “He’ll be matched up with one of our student tutors. He needs to pass the next two tests before it can be lifted.” 

 

Han’s demeanor seemed to ease. “Easy enough, right, son?” 

 

Ben shrugged. “I guess.” 

 

Ben could see that Ms. Holdo was trying to keep a calm demeanor amidst the awkward energy between Han and him. “Great. I’m gonna give you a tutor’s number and you and your dad just need to sign this sheet of paper saying that we discussed all this.” 

 

Han and Ben both complied with the woman’s instructions. After signing the paper, he took the piece of paper with “Rey Sanderson” and phone number on it. Frustrated with the situation at hand and the fact that Ms. Holdo had obviously spelled the other student’s name wrong, Ben left his guidance counselor’s room in a huff. His father quickly was on his heels. 

 

“Ben,” he called after him. “We gonna talk about this?” 

 

Ben sighed. “Dad, there’s nothing  _ to  _ talk about. I have to get back to class. Yes, I’m gonna call the guy that Ms. Holdo recommended. Yes, I’ll get my grades up.” 

 

Han seemed to sigh in resignation.  _ Good _ , Ben thought. He didn’t want his father causing a scene in the halls of his school. 

 

“I’ll see you at home, son,” Han said, and turned toward the front entrance. Ben stuffed the paper with the number for his potential tutor in the pocket of his school uniform pants. His mood didn’t improve the rest of the day thanks to a pop quiz in the very class he was now failing and an unfortunate accident with a Doctor Pepper--courtesy of his friend, Gwen Phasma at lunchtime. 

 

Normally, Ben could find solace with his teammates on the basketball court. It was strange, but he considered games and practice his therapy. He could clear his mind of any troubles and just focus on the game. That was all taken away from him now. However, the rules of academic probation didn’t say he was barred from entering the school’s weight room. He couldn’t face going home to his father yet. Ben figured a bit of lifting was better than nothing. 

 

As he changed into his workout gear, the crumpled piece of paper Ms. Holdo had given him floated out. He picked it up and smoothed it out on the locker room bench. Ben figured his lingering at school would go over a little better with his father if he had at least reached out to his potential tutor. He pulled out his phone and typed out a quick text to establish contact. 

 

**Ben Solo:** Hi. this is Ben Solo. I got your number from Ms. Holdo as a potential tutor for pre-calc. 

 

He threw his phone in a locker and went to go workout, not thinking this Rey would respond. After taking out most of his frustrations out in the weight room, he wandered back to locker. He figured his father had talked to his mother because he had ten missed calls and voicemails from her when he finally looked at his phone. 

 

Voicemail number one said, “Ben, it’s your mother. It’s about 3:30 in the afternoon. I talked to your father. Please give me a call back. I think we have a few things to discuss. I’m not mad, just disappointed…”

 

He didn’t need to hear the rest of the message, which was interrupted by his mother calling yet again. The words at the end of her message stung. Accepting his fate, he answered the call. 

 

“Hi mom,” he said, opening his phone. 

 

“Hello, Benjamin,” she greeted. 

 

“I guess you talked to dad?” he asked sheepishly. 

 

She hummed. “I did.” 

 

“I’m sorry,” he offered. 

 

“Don’t apologize to me,” Leia began. “It’s not my grades and free ride to college on the line.” 

 

“Okay mom,” he said quietly. “I know what I have to do.” 

 

“Then do it, son,” Leia urged gently. “I have to go, Ben. I’ll talk to you later. Please keep me updated.” 

 

“I will, mom,” he promised. 

 

“I love you,” she said, getting ready to close the phone call. 

 

“I know,” Ben said before he hung up. 

 

He went to close his phone and almost didn’t see that his potential tutor, Ray had texted back. 

 

**Ray:** I’m free Tuesday right after school lets out. meet me in the library? 

 

He texted back to let him know that worked. Ben just hoped and prayed that this torture would be over soon. 

 

***

 

Ben showed up at library at the appointed hour, even showing up a little early. He set out his pencil, homework and graphing calculator. He rubbed his temples, preparing for the inevitable headache this would all bring. He attempted to read the first problem, but his concentration was interrupted by a lilting female voice behind him. 

 

“Ben Solo?” she asked. 

 

Ben was used to random girls from his school coming up to him and trying to chat with him. He supposed it was part and parcel of being the captain and star of the basketball team. He would normally flirt back, but nothing ever came of it. He hadn’t really had a girlfriend ever and he wasn’t about to start now. Ben normally indulged the female attention, but today he was just not in the mood at all. 

 

“Sorry, I’m kinda busy right now,” he replied, not looking up from his homework. 

 

“I know,” she replied. 

 

_ Okay, then why are you still standing there? _ He sighed, closed his eyes and looked up at the source of the voice. Okay, maybe he  _ was  _ willing to indulge the female attention this afternoon after all. The girl standing before him was absolutely stunning. Her chestnut hair was pulled up in a half ponytail. Her hazel green eyes were boring into him and her eyebrow was quirked. Ben had never seen this girl around school before. He felt like he knew of everyone in this school, so how did he not know who this girl was? 

 

He put down his pencil. “You’re more than welcome to sit down, though.” 

 

The girl chuckled and placed her messenger bag down at a seat across the table from Ben. “Why thank you.” 

 

That laugh and her voice was so beautiful. Ben decided he could probably listen to it all day. “We might get interrupted tho.” 

 

“Oh?” she quirked her eyebrow again. 

 

“I’m supposed to be meeting some math nerd here for a tutoring session,” Ben explained. 

 

“Math nerd, huh?” she asked with thinly veiled amusement. 

 

Ben nodded. “Yeah, kid’s name is Ray something. My guidance counselor spelled it R-E-Y on the paper she gave me, but I think she wrote it down wrong.”

 

“Oh, Rey Sanderson?”  

 

Ben snapped his fingers as the neurons in his brain connected, remembering his tutors last name. “That’s it! You don’t see him around here anywhere, huh?” 

 

The girl stared at him silently for a few seconds, smirked, and extended her hand in a handshake. “Rey Sanderson. Math nerd. Ms. Holdo spelled my name right.” 

 

Ben felt the blood drain from his face as he timidly extended his hand to return the gesture. Rey’s chest shook in silent laughter, trying not to draw the attention of the aging school librarian. He could feel the tips of his ears getting hot and he wanted to melt into the floor. “I--I don’t even know what to say right now.” 

 

“Didn’t think girls could be math nerds, eh?” Rey chuckled. 

 

“No--I--,” Ben stammered.

 

“Sorry, I’m teasing. I’ll stop,” Rey said, covering her mouth. “Shall we begin?” 

 

Ben nodded, darting his eyes back to his homework and fiddling with his pencil. It was not often that people got one over on him. He was mortified and intrigued all at once. 

 

“Is that your homework?” Rey nodded toward the sheet in front of Ben. 

 

“Yeah, it’s what we learned today and I just can’t make heads or tails of it,” Ben said, pushing the offending piece of paper toward Rey. 

 

“Let me see,” Rey took the sheet of paper and turned it around. She furrowed her brow as she studied it. Ben watched as this unfolded, mesmerized by her concentration. The spell she had cast on him was only broken by her speaking again. “Okay, so explain to me how you’d attack problem one.”

 

Ben cleared his throat and ran his hands through his short hair. He held his breath, staring at the numbers, praying some answer would zap into his brain from the heavens. He huffed out the breath he was holding in and shook his head. “I got no fucking clue.” 

 

Rey offered him an understanding smile. “That’s ok.” 

 

She pulled out a piece of scrap paper and a pencil and copied the equation. Rey went through each component of it and patiently answered all Ben’s questions. She never once looked at him like he was stupid or was annoyed with him. He didn’t expect this at all. 

 

He didn’t expect to be enthralled by Rey’s mastery of the subject, but here he was hanging on her every word. He actually understood what was going on, which was a welcome change from listening to Dr. Tekka drone on in class. They worked through three of Ben’s homework questions before Rey looked at her watch. 

 

“Oh!” she said, slapping her hand to her forehead. “I do have to go now, but I’m free Thursday after my school newspaper meeting. Sound good?” 

 

Ben inexplicably felt sad that she had to go, but the promise of meeting again on Thursday softened the blow. He nodded in agreement. They gathered up their school supplies and bid their farewells. 

 

Ben made his way to the side street a few blocks from the school where he’d parked his Jeep his Uncle Lando had purchased him for his sixteenth birthday--much to the chagrin of Han and Leia. He flung his backpack onto the leather of the passenger seat and fired up the car. 

 

The radio blared a song from four years ago about a man wanting to spill his guts to the woman he loves. Ben never understood the song. His mother had listened to the song once in the car with Ben, shook her head and told him that one day if he ever met a special girl it would all make sense. Ben originally balked at that sentiment, but as he pulled away from his parking spot, he listened to the words as they streamed out of his car stereo. 

 

An unbidden image of Rey came into his mind, pushing her brown hair out of her face and smiling at him. He pushed it out of his mind as the words of the song almost started to make sense. He’d literally just met the girl. This was insane, right? Right? 

  
  


 

 

 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm posting this slightly earlier than intended but #noregrets. You're worth it, Daga. We love ya, kid <3

**March 2007**

 

To say that the last few weeks of Rey’s life hadn’t gone the way she thought was an understatement. When she first heard she’d be tutoring Ben Solo—Chandrila Prep’s golden god of basketball— wanted to tell Ms. Holdo not just no, but  _ hell  _ no. She expected him to be obnoxious, arrogant, and just completely aloof when it came to his tutoring sessions. That was part of the reason that she messed with him when they first met. 

 

She went in with her preconceived notions about what he would be like, but he surprised her. He surprised her in the most pleasant way possible. He proved to be a quick study and was more than grateful for Rey’s help. His grades quickly improved. 

 

Rey supposed she could call Ben a friend after a month. After a few tutoring sessions they’d started talking on AIM. They’d quickly discovered they shared a mutual love of _The Office_. Thursday night it became a standing appointment for Rey and Ben to run to their rooms and discuss the most recent episode with each other. 

 

They actually started spending a little time with each other outside of school as well. When Rey’s friend’s Rose and Finn couldn’t leave campus for lunch, sometimes Rey and Ben would go to the pizza place about a five minute walk from the school. During these lunches, they would talk about everything and nothing at all. 

 

During their tutoring sessions, Ben worked hard and applied himself, even if they did have a hard time keeping themselves on task at times. Ben easily passed his first test with an 85. They continued preparing for his second test which was only two weeks after his first. Rey and Ben were both confident in Ben’s skills, but there was always the element of the unknown. Rey saw Ben briefly the morning of the second test and he seemed cool as a cucumber—confident and ready as always. 

 

Two days later, Ben said grades were going to be handed back. Rey was on pins and needles. She didn’t understand why. It wasn’t like it was her grades or her spot on the basketball team on the line. Nevertheless, she drew weird glances from Rose as her leg nervously bounced during fifth period, when she knew Ben would be getting his results back. The bell rang and Rey practically sprinted down the hall to get to Ben’s classroom. When she arrived, it felt like it took an eternity for Ben to exit the room, but she finally saw his tall frame come into view. 

 

He was clutching his test paper like a lifeline. When he saw her, the smile that spread across his face made a strange warmth bloom in Rey’s chest. No one had ever smiled at Rey like that before. He flipped the paper over and in big red Sharpie, Rey saw “90” written at the top. 

 

“You did it!” Rey rushed over to him, nearly knocking a fellow student over in the process. 

 

Ben swooped her up off the ground in a bear hug and Rey steadied herself with her arms on his shoulders. She let out a giggle as he spun around. 

 

“Ben!” she cried with another laugh. “Put me down, we’re gonna be late for our next class!” 

 

“Our next class is lunch, Rey,” Ben smirked as he put Rey down. 

 

“Exactly why we shouldn’t be late,” Rey replied. 

 

Ben kept his arms around her, daring her to pull away. The strange thing was, Rey didn’t  _ want _ to pull away. She wanted to stay like this with Ben for a few more moments, their bodies flush with one another. The warmth in her chest she felt bloom when Ben first smiled at her reached a fever pitch and threatened to burn her alive. Ben was looking at her intently—too intently for her taste—and Rey flicked her eyes to his lips for just a second. A tingling sensation developed on her own lips as she looked a little too long at his. Had they always been looked like that—soft, plush and kissable?

 

She could have sworn he was closing the gap between them. No, she reasoned, it was just a trick of her mind. There was no way Ben was leaning closer toward her. There was also no way she was rising up on her tiptoes to meet him. There was no way this was happening. The bell rang and they broke apart from each other. Rey’s heart dropped at the loss of contact. What was happening to her? 

 

“Come with me to get a slice of pizza and celebrate?” Ben asked. 

 

The hope in his eyes made Rey want to say yes, but she knew she should decline. Rey couldn’t put her finger on it, but something had shifted in that hug. Somehow it felt more meaningful than just a simple hug from a friend. Rey wanted to kill this line of thought dead in its tracks. There was no way in hell that Ben Solo—the very definition of popular jock—had any sort of feelings for her beyond gratitude for her services as a tutor. 

 

Gratitude, Rey rationalized, was the only reason he’d swept her up in the warmest hug she’d ever had in her life. He couldn’t possibly have any romantic feelings for her, right? That was just utterly ridiculous. It didn’t matter that Rey had suspiciously been watching more romantic comedies lately. It didn’t matter that she saw the couple on screen and a small voice in the back of her mind wondered what experiencing all that would be like with Ben. What Rey felt was inconsequential. She was a nobody and there was no way someone like Ben Solo had fallen for her. It just wasn’t possible. 

 

Rey needed to stop this before it spiraled completely out of control. She swallowed hard. “I can’t. I promised I’d help Rose with her AP English project.” 

 

It wasn’t a complete lie. Rose  _ did  _ mention she needed to make a dent in the paper that was due in a week and would be in the library during her lunch hour. Rey told herself she was just imagining the look of disappointment on Ben’s face when she said no. It wasn’t possible.

 

“Okay, well, at least come to my first basketball game back on Friday?” Ben asked with a hopeful tone in his voice.  

 

“I’ll see,” Rey replied. She ignored the look of renewed hope on his face when she gave her non-committal response. 

***

 

Friday night arrived and Rey was gripping the steering wheel of her 1999 Honda Civic so hard that her knuckles were white and the blood flow was almost cut off to her fingertips. Why was she making such a big deal of this? She was just showing up to a basketball game at her school at the invitation of a boy she may or may not be crushing on. It wasn’t a big deal. Not at all. She was waiting for Rose to show up after having successfully managed to convince her to watch the game with her. 

 

She had spent way too much time picking out an outfit to wear. Rey often cursed the required school uniform at Chandrila Prep, but tonight she was thankful for it. With this newfound confusion over Ben Solo, she couldn’t imagine stressing out like this every day over pieces of clothing. She ultimately decided on a Fall out Boy t-shirt and jeans. As she sat in the car, she pondered if she was wholly underdressed for the occasion. A tap on her car window made her jump out of her skin. Rose had finally shown up. 

 

Rose looked at her quizzically. “You ok?”

 

Rey offered a weak smile. “Yeah. Fine.” 

 

They walked into the gym and found some seats on the wood bleachers after stopping to get some snacks from the Drama Club that was holding a bake sale. The basketball team had already begun their warm-up drills and Rey quickly scanned the court for Ben. She found him by the three-point line shooting baskets. He turned to face the side of the court Rey and Rose were sitting on and began dribbling the ball. 

 

Rose was chatting about a  _ Harry Potter _ fan fiction Rey and she had both been engrossed in lately. Rose was making a point on the power dynamic commentary in the latest chapter. Out of the corner of Rey’s eye, she saw Ben spot her. He stopped dribbling the ball and waved at her. Rey waved back. 

 

Rose narrowed her eyes as she watched this scene unfold. “Forget Dramione, why is Ben Solo waving at you and grinning like an idiot?” 

 

Rey shoved a handful of popcorn in her mouth, shrugged, and took a sip of her soda. “Beats me.” 

 

“Mhmmm,” Rose replied dubiously. 

 

“Anyway,” Rey said, attempting to steer the conversation away from Ben. “Chapter 14. Hermione and Draco. Malfoy Manor. Library. Continue.” 

 

Rose pursed her lips. “I see how it is. Okay, but don’t think I won’t pry it out of you eventually.”

 

Rose mercifully dropped it and they continued their earlier conversation. Rey still kept looking over at Ben as the game started. In fact, she had a hard time keeping her concentration focused on her friend rather than the tall, cute, muscled boy in the black and red basketball uniform on the court. This was not good at all. 

 

The game ended and Rose needed to dart back home because it was almost time for her curfew. Rey stayed behind to congratulate Ben, but a crowd of people swarmed him after the game. Rey tried to ignore the pang of jealousy she felt when she noted most of the well-wishers were of the female persuasion, shamelessly flirting with Ben. She even lingered around for a few minutes, chatting with other friends who came to the game, hoping to catch a glimpse of Ben to no avail. Finally admitting defeat, she headed to her car. 

 

When she got there, it was like a scene from one of those damn romcoms that Rey had become fond of lately. Ben’s lanky body was leaning against her car, his duffel bag strap was flung across his chest. He’d clearly showered after the game, his short hair still damp, with his ears poking through the raven locks. He was smiling at her like she was the greatest thing in the world. A tingle started in Rey’s stomach and soon engulfed her whole body. She wished it would stop. 

 

She smiled back at him in greeting. “I was looking for you.” 

 

He quirked an eyebrow. “Were you now?” 

 

“Don’t flatter yourself, Solo. Just wanted to congratulate you on the win,” she rolled her eyes and fiddled with her car keys. 

 

“Well, I wouldn’t be here without you,” he said. Rey had now reached her car and Ben turned to face her. That damn intense gaze had returned and Rey just wanted to get in her car and drive home. 

 

“I think you would have done just fine without me, Ben,” Rey waved him off, unlocking her car door. 

 

Ben placed a hand on the door as Rey tried to open it. “Why do you do that?” 

 

Rey bristled at Ben’s audacity, trying to stop her from opening the door. “Do what? Ben, you’re smart, you would have been back on the basketball court regardless if I was the one tutoring you or not.” 

 

Ben scoffed and shook his head. “Rey, if you could see what I see…”

 

Rey rolled her eyes and tried to open the door again. Ben only held it shut. “Would you quit doing that? And stop feeding me lines, Ben.” 

 

Ben took a slight step back. “What makes you think I’m feeding you lines?” 

 

“Because there’s no possible way a guy like you could ever be interested in a girl like me,” Rey shot back with a near scowl on her face. 

 

Ben wordlessly stepped forward and closed the space between their bodies. He slipped his hand around the back of Rey’s neck and pulled her up into her first kiss. Nothing about the last three weeks had gone according to Rey’s expectations and this first kiss was no exception. She had heard stories about first kisses being awkward and sloppy, but this was anything but that. 

 

Ben’s lips were soft and the kiss was so sweet and tender. Rey leaned into the kiss a bit more and swiped her tongue along Ben’s lips. She’d heard this was the natural progression of kissing and she was proven right when Ben reciprocated. Their tongues playfully sparred with each other until it seemed all the oxygen in the atmosphere for a ten mile radius was gone. 

 

They broke apart and Rey came down to earth once more. She didn’t know how she ended up pressed against her car, but Ben was still cradling her neck. He was looking at her, breathless, with wonder, like she was the most precious thing ever. It was terrifying and the best thing ever all at the same time. 

 

Ben cleared his throat. “I hope that clears things up.”

  
  



	3. Chapter 3

The weekend that followed was absolutely perfect. After their moment in the parking lot, they each went home. Ben flopped on his bed after a day of being on cloud nine—being back on the court, winning the game, and _finally_ kissing Rey. It was everything he’d hoped it would be and more.

 

That Saturday, Ben slept in and woke up with a fresh spring in his step. He texted Rey to see if she wanted to hang out. She agreed. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon. They played _Halo_ and ordered pizza for lunch.

 

They were now sitting in the sun room, snuggled on the couch, sharing earbuds for Ben’s iPod, and listening to the newest Underoath album.

 

“They’re touring next fall,” Ben began. “Probably gonna be near Syracuse, so I’m gonna try to see them.”

 

“Oh, you’re going to Syracuse?” Rey asked.

 

“Got a full ride and it’s only a four hour drive from here, so seems like a no brainer” Ben shrugged. “What about you, where are you going?”

 

“I got accepted to Syracuse too,” Rey looked up at him. “That’s a strong contender now.”

 

Ben didn’t know if this was moving too fast, but he didn’t want to think about all that right now. He pulled the earbud out of his ear. “I’m gonna get some water.”

 

Ben moved to get up but stopped when he realized he’s accidentally grazed Rey’s boob. After this realization, he just froze. He didn’t know why. He just froze with his hand precariously placed on her tit.

 

“Sorry,” was all Ben could blurt out with his hand not moving.

 

“It-it’s ok,” Rey said, her body relaxing under the weight of Ben’s touch.

 

Ben finally managed to make two neurons in his lizard brain fire and removed his hand. Before he had moved it too far, Rey grabbed his hand. He looked at her, utterly confused.

 

“It actually felt nice,” Rey said.

 

“Yeah?” Ben said, trying not to betray how excited he was. “Should I do it again?”

 

Rey bit her lip and nodded. She sat up and took off her shirt. Ben felt his cock twitch against his jeans. He nearly lost it when she took it a step further and removed her beige bra. He just stared at Rey, who was looking at him expectantly, anticipating his next move. Ben was completely transfixed, rooted in his spot. He’d snuck glances at topless girls before in Han’s old issues of _Playboy_ that were stashed under his parent’s bed. Seeing it in person, Ben concluded right then and there was as close to a holy experience as he would ever achieve.

 

He sent up a silent prayer to move and the gods granted his wish. Rey layed back down on the couch as he moved to straddle her. The first brush of contact was a mistake, now every move was weighted and intentional. Ben hesitated for a second before lightly brushing the pad of his thumb over a peaked nipple.

 

Rey sucked in a breath and her back arched slighty. _Was that right?_ Ben hesitated again. “Sorry.”

 

“No, that felt good. Keep going. Try...swirling your thumb around,” Rey directed.

 

Ben did as she asked. A tiny moan escaped her lips and a small amount of pride puffed up in his chest knowing he was responsible for that.

 

“Can I try something?” he asked.

 

Rey picked her head up and nodded. They held each other’s gazes as Ben placed featherweight kisses on her collarbone. Rey ran her fingers through his hair as he moved lower.

 

“Ben,” his name escaped from her lips like a prayer.

 

He thought hearing her say his name was the most perfect thing ever until he placed his lips on her nipple and sucked. Rey let out a moan and rolled her hips against Ben’s cock, which was now rock hard. He responded in kind and rolled his own hips against Rey’s jeans, moving his lips off her tit with a pop.

 

As he continued his grinding motion, Rey moved her hand around his neck and brought him closer for a kiss. Their tongues resumed their playful dance they’d been doing most of the day. Ben so wanted to take things further, but this thing with Rey was so delicate, new and fragile. He wanted all of Rey. He wanted them to be each other’s completely, but he didn’t want to push his luck.

 

It was in this moment he realized he was so far gone for this girl, but he didn’t care. This moment of revelation was short lived. They both heard the garage door open and broke apart quickly.

 

“I thought you said they were in Washington D.C.!” Rey accused, scrambling for her bra and shirt.

 

“They must have decided to come back early!” Ben said grabbing the remote and flicking the TV on.

 

“Ben?” Han’s voice called from the kitchen. Rey was mercifully dressed and fixing her hair. Ben was not so lucky. His jeans were still tented. Rey’s eyes widened and she tossed Ben a throw pillow to cover up.

 

Ben cleared his throat. “In here, dad.”

 

His parents came into view seconds later as they entered the sunroom. Leia raised her eyebrows in surprise as she regarded Rey. “I didn’t know you had company, Ben.”

 

“Yeah, uh, this is Rey. She’s my Pre-Calc tutor,” he motioned toward her.

 

“Oh, so you’re the one responsible for whipping my son into shape, huh?” Han asked.

 

Rey’s chest shook in a silent chuckle and shrugged. “Hardly. Ben’s very smart. He just needed a teacher.”

 

Leia offered Rey a warm smile. “Well, regardless, we can’t thank you enough for your help.”

 

Rey waved the woman off. “It’s nothing, really.”

 

A few seconds of awkward silence reigned before Han broke it. “Well, it’s almost dinner time. Would you two like to come out to dinner with us?”

Ben looked over at Rey and she nodded. “That sounds good.”

 

Ben’s parents turned around to leave the room. Han turned around to face Rey and Ben. “We’ll wait in the car. Ben, take all the time you need to, uh, calm down.”

 

Ben blinked in shock and the tips of his ears turned pink. His father left the room. Out of the corner of his eye, Ben could see Rey biting her lip. Her chest began to shake in silent laughter. Ben heard door leading from the house to the garage close. He looked over at Rey who burst into laughter, no longer able to control it. Ben took the pillow he’d used to cover his...situation…and threw it at Rey.

 

“I’m sorry,” she said, wiping her eyes. “I should not be laughing.”

 

Ben smirked and let out a chuckle of his own. Despite it being slightly embarassing, he had to laugh. “It is pretty funny.”

 

Rey stopped laughing long enough to stand up. “We should go.”

 

Ben nodded in response, stood up and followed Rey to his parent’s car. This weekend had been pretty perfect.

 

***

 

Rey was waiting for the other shoe to drop. All her life, good things were always followed by an inevitable crash and burn. It would always effectively negate the high from the happy events in her life. Case in point, she’d been accepted to Chandrila Prep, but had to move foster houses. She’d gone from living in a modest four bedroom house with a nice, decent couple with two other foster kids to a two bedroom apartment. Her guardian was an asshole named Unkar Plutt who clearly only took in foster kids for the money and tax breaks.

 

This had been the story of Rey’s young life. It was simply natural to assume that now since she’d started dating Ben, something horrible was lurking around the corner. She sat in the library with Ben after school, chipping away at homework. It had been a week since the game and the weekend that followed. Rey’s life hadn’t gone up in smoke yet, but she knew it was coming.

 

She tried to push these thoughts out of her mind as she attempted to concoct a sentence for her history essay about Thomas Jefferson. Ben, however, was determined to make that exceedingly difficult. He was looking at her with a heated gaze that was making her stomach do backflips. She felt a blush creep across her cheeks as they locked eyes.

 

She smiled and looked away, whispering. “Stop that.”

 

Ben put his pencil down and smirked. “Stop what?”

 

He spoke a little too loudly, drawing a “Shh!” from the aging librarian.

 

“Stop looking at me like that. You’re distracting me,” she said, biting the cap of her pen.

 

“So are you,” he said with a quirked eyebrow.

 

The librarian shot them another warning glance. Rey mouthed a silent “sorry” in her direction. A full on wave of embarrassment was creeping through Rey’s cheeks as she feigned interest in her school work. Her phone vibrated in her backpack and Rey grabbed it.

 

**Ben:** wanna go in the stacks?

 

Rey’s pulse quickened as she read the text. This wasn’t a simple invitation to go browse books in a off the beaten path portion of the library. The stacks referred to the fifth floor of the library (why a high school needed a library with 5 floors was beyond Rey). The stacks were infamous for students hooking up. Many students assumed the librarians were just oblivious. However, Rey heard that there was a “secret” stash of condoms conveniently located on the fifth floor.

 

**Ben:** if you don’t want to that’s totally fine.

 

Rey had been so lost in her thoughts, she’d nearly forgotten she’d left Ben hanging. His thumbs were furiously typing another message, when she grabbed his wrist. She nodded. There was still a gnawing feeling in the back of her mind that this was all too good to be true and no good would come of this.

 

She pushed her chair back and ignored that feeling. She met Ben at the end of the table, grabbed his hand, and made their way up to the fifth floor. Rey lead them down a row of shelves, subconsciously surveying if they were sturdy enough. Their breath was ragged from climbing up all those stairs, Rey told herself.

 

Ben cupped her face with his hand. Every touch, every sensation was heightened. Rey had never given much thought to boys, dating, or sex, but now that Ben was standing in front of her, looking at her like the most precious thing in the world. Everyone--movies, books, TV, friends--had told her, “When you know, you know”. She knew.

 

Maybe she was making too much of this, but before his lips crashed down on hers, she felt like a skydiver waiting to jump out the plane. She stood on the precipice of a new, terrifying experience. When their lips met, she was out of the plane in a free fall, in the best way possible.

 

Rey backed into a shelf with a thud. Ben broke away from their kiss, his hand still cupping her face. “Are you okay?”

 

Rey nodded and bit her lip. “Mhmmm.”

 

“Are you sure about this?” Ben asked, betraying he was just as nervous as she was.

 

Rey nodded and sucked in a breath. He kissed her again. Ben’s fingers fumbled with his belt buckle, struggling to undo it. Rey looked down and grabbed his hands.

 

“Let me?” she asked.

 

Ben nodded and she made quick work of taking his belt off. He pushed down his pants and stepped out of them. Rey was suddenly thankful that the school uniform for girls required a skirt as she shimmied out of her underwear.

 

They both stared at each other for a moment, regarding their discarded items of clothing, and looked to the other for what to do next.

 

“Um,” Ben paused. “Come here.”

 

Rey drew closer to him. He lifted her up. She  wrapped her legs and arms tight around him. He held her up against the bookcase for some extra support.

 

Rey let out a cry—half from pleasure, half from shock at the new sensation—as Ben inserted a finger.

 

He looked up at her. “Are you ok?”

 

Rey nodded. “Just didn’t expect that, is all.”

 

Ben slowly continued drawing his finger in and out. Rey was almost involuntarily gasping at the friction. She felt a wetness growing where Ben was drawing his fingers in and out.

 

“Is...this okay?” Ben questioned, continuing his motions.

 

“Uh huh!” Rey replied, throwing her head back.

 

Ben inserted a second finger, stretching her. She let out another moan and bit down on a finger, suddenly remembering where she was. A flush spread across both their cheeks.

 

“Sorry,” she said quietly.

 

“It’s okay,” Ben began, breathless. “Rey, um, not to rush things but...I’m not gonna last much longer, if we don’t…ya know…”

 

“Oh?” Rey asked, confused. “ _Oh._ Okay.”

 

She took his length in her hand, and studied it for a few moments. Rey hadn’t seen one before and was just mesmerized. She didn’t realize she’d been staring until Ben’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.

 

“Is everything okay?” He asked hesitantly.

 

Rey nodded quickly. She felt a slight twinge of panic and guilt at probably making Ben think something was wrong with his dick. She guided it to her entrance and adjusted herself (as well as she could doing sex acrobatics in her school’s  library) to take in a few inches.

 

Rey gasped at the new sensation and dug her nails into Ben’s back, which drew a groan from Ben.

 

“Are you okay?” He whispered in her ear.

 

Rey assured him she was. “Just go slow.”

 

Ben thrusted up into her. Rey could see that Ben was about to ask if she was okay yet again. She brought his face in for a kiss to stop him. The kiss also muffled a moan as pulled out and pushed in further. He continued this motion a few more times. It wasn’t long before the heat engulfing Rey’s body burst. She bit down on Ben’s shoulder as her release came. She felt Ben pulsing inside of her as he came not that much later.

 

They silently put themselves back together, shooting each other sheepish grins. Their faces were flushed and not just from the physical activity. Ben took Rey’s hand and they moved down toward the first floor. Rey could say she was happy and content, but that nagging feeling of impending doom was still there.

 

After they exited, Ben went to use the bathroom right outside the library. Rey waited on a nearby bench. She saw Bazine Netal and Armitage Hux, two of the members of Ben’s popular crowd, come out.

 

“Can’t believe Solo’s back on the team,” Armitage huffed.

 

Rey’s ears perked up, but she didn’t look over in the direction of the conversation.

 

“Ugh I know,” Bazine began. “Still think you should be captain, Armie.”

 

“That Sanderson girl is probably doing his homework for him _and_ sucking his dick too. He probably cheated off Snap Wexley for those two tests, you know Solo sits next to him in Pre-Calc” Hux grumbled.

 

Rey could see Bazine roll her eyes. “Hope the head is worth it, Solo.”

 

Hux laughed. “Probably not.”

 

Rey choked back tears as her breath quickened. There it was. The other shoe had dropped.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments, kudos and support of this story. I'm so sorry it's taken me forever to update this. Also, the chapter count has increased, but I will be posting the epilogue tomorrow. 
> 
> Thank you to [KyloTrashForever](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KyloTrashForever) and [TeaFiend](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaFiend/pseuds/TeaFiend) for beta'ing this fluff fest.

Ben Solo wanted to kill someone. He normally channeled his anger through his workouts in the weight room or his performance on the court, but this? This was different. This took him by surprise and was on a whole new level.

 

The sight of Rey trying to choke back tears outside the library pulled at his heartstrings. When she told him why...oh, his rage boiled over to a new level he never even thought existed. Fuck Hux. Fuck Bazine. Fuck those two assholes who claimed to be his friend. Not only were they insinuating Ben wasn’t smart enough to be back on the team, they reduced this thing with Rey to a cheap, tawdry business transaction.

 

That’s what set Ben off the most. This thing with Rey was so much more. She’d opened his mind to a world he never thought possible. Rey had not only broadened his horizons with their relationship on an emotional level, but their connection — which had grown astronomically deep in the short time they’d known each other — made Ben think past the four walls of his school.

 

The first brief conversation about college they’d had on the couch of his parents sunroom had sent Ben’s mind turning. His racing mind turned into a three hour phone conversation with Rey that night about their futures. After they’d hung up with each other, Ben could think of nothing else. He pictured playing basketball at Syracuse and making it to the NCAA Final Four. He pictured himself making the winning basket and looking over toward the stands. In his vision, Rey would be beaming at him with pride as his team celebrated their victory. Beyond the court, he dreamed of them studying and partying together, just being normal college students. Also, waking up every morning next to her would just be an added bonus.

 

That’s why he was keyed up and ready to run after Hux and break his nose. From where Ben sat — kneeling before Rey, who was sitting on the bench outside the library with tears in her eyes — it was the only course of action. He almost stood up to do just that, when Rey grabbed his arm.

 

“Ben, no,” she pleaded, barely above a whisper. “I-it’s me. I’m the problem.”

 

“No, Rey, _no_ ,” he soothed. “You’re not a problem at all.”

 

“I am,” she sniffed, wiping away a tear. “People are saying these horrible things about you because of _me_.”

 

“Fuck them, Rey,” he said, running his hands up and down her shoulders. “Fuck them and what they say about us. I don’t care about them. Just _you_.”

 

She sniffed once again. “I’m not worth all this, Ben.”

 

He pushed a lock of hair out of her face. “Yes, you are.”

 

She shook her head. “You’re gonna wake up one day and realize I’m not.”

 

“How can you say that?” Ben questioned.

 

Her words caused a tightness to form in his chest. Where was this all coming from? He’d made his feelings perfectly clear — at least in his mind. He would move heaven and earth for her. So why was Rey doubting this all of a sudden? It stung.

 

“I can’t do this, Ben,” she broke the silence, hanging her head.

 

_No, no, no,_ Ben thought, _I can’t lose her_. He shook his head, unable to make words come out.

 

“I’m so sorry, I can’t do this,” she said, pushing him away.

 

She gathered her bag and ran away from the spot where they were talking. Ben didn’t know why he didn’t run after her. He was just rooted to his spot. Amidst his inability to move, he just hoped Rey hadn’t run out of his life for good.

  


***

 

Running away from Ben was in equal parts the stupidest and hardest thing Rey had ever done in her short life. He’d given her promises and assurances, but somehow that wasn’t enough. Hux and Bazine’s words were still ringing in her ears. The other shoe had dropped indeed.

 

She went home that night and didn’t do homework, didn’t even eat whatever frozen, processed food Plutt was offering her for dinner. She just sat in the dark— hot tears occasionally streaming down her face. _This is for the best_ , she reasoned, _this is for the best_.

 

The next day two days weren’t much better. Rey didn’t show up to school. It wasn’t like Plutt cared much about her attendance record. The days away from school and apart from Ben had been agony for her. She barely slept or ate. Rey didn’t know when she’d become this type of girl acting this way over a boy, but here she was.

 

Ben had undoubtedly been the best thing that had ever happened to her — a fact she couldn’t deny. She couldn’t let him go, but she couldn’t be responsible for him being the butt of jokes from fellow students. He was too good and too sweet for her to allow that to happen to him. She’d come up with a solution that was beneficial for both of them and could only hope Ben would agree to it.

 

Summoning all her courage, she finally showered, made herself look presentable and drove over to Ben’s house. On the drive over, she almost turned around several times, but some higher power kept her going. She raised her hand and knocked on the large wooden door. An eternity later (or what seemed like it), Ben arrived at the door.

 

He seemed pleasantly surprised that Rey was at his door. This was a good start. “Rey, what are you doing here?”

 

“Ben, I can’t be away from you anymore,” she began, “but I can’t let you ruin your reputation over me.”

 

“Rey,” he started.

 

“Let me finish,” she said, cutting him off. “I can’t have your reputation smeared because of me. So, here’s what I’m proposing — we date, but we keep it a secret until we graduate.”

 

Ben huffed out a breath and ran his fingers through his hair. “I don’t like it, Rey.”

 

“Oh,” her heart sank.

 

“Let me finish,” he said, grabbing her hand. “I don’t like it, but if it’s the only way I get to be with you, I have no choice but to agree with you.”

 

Rey released a pent-up sigh. This was good, but Rey didn’t know who was crazier — her for concocting this plan in the first place or Ben for agreeing to it.

 

“Come here,” he said pulling her in.

 

Their lips met in a kiss and — at least for Rey — all seemed right in that moment.

  


***

 

Ben’s arrangement with Rey was going okay. Ben used the word _okay_ because — well, he was in love. He was in love with Rey, and he wanted people to know. His parents, with Rey’s blessing, found out after much prodding and interrogation. It was hard to keep a secret like that from Leia Organa-Solo. Leia was delighted to have another female around. Han, well, Han was just happy Ben had started bringing girls around.

 

Ben supposed he could deal with his so-called friends not knowing. Although, Bazine did notice he was acting more “chipper” (seriously, who the hell uses that word anymore?). Ben just brushed her off, attributing it to the excitement of graduation and _finally_ getting the hell out of high school.

 

He was fine with keeping everything a secret until _it_ happened. That fateful day in May when colorful posters were put up announcing Senior Prom. Up until that point, Ben hadn’t given much thought to it. However, after a fifth person had asked him if he was going to bring anyone, it was all he could think about — escorting Rey into the gym in a beautiful gown, dancing the night away.

 

Suddenly, their arrangement wasn’t fine. He needed everyone to know that he didn’t give a shit about their opinions of him and Rey. He needed Rey to know that she was the most important thing to him and that nothing else mattered. Ben was leaving high school in a matter of months, nothing else that happened (except for finals, Ben wasn’t _that_ reckless) in this building mattered.

 

***

 

“Come to prom with me?” Ben asked hopefully.

 

They were on his bed almost a week after posters for prom had gone up. Ben traced lazy circles on Rey’s arm as she rested her head on his stomach. He was hoping his calm movements would distract from how nervous he was. She let out a thoughtful hum and then grew silent.

 

“Ben you know we can’t,” she said, meeting his eyes.

 

“But, why, Rey?” he asked with a sigh.

 

“Ben, you know why,” she answered, grabbing Ben’s hand and lacing his fingers with hers. “I don’t wanna risk ruining your reputation.”

 

So they were back to this again. “Rey, you know I don’t give a shit about that. I want people to know.”

 

“Ben, please,” she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

 

He opened his mouth to speak, but Rey was firm and unwavering in her stance on the matter. It was probably best if he just dropped it. He assumed this was what a relationship was all about, give and take. Compromise.

 

“Okay, I’ll drop it,” he said, stroking her hair. “I’ll drop it.”

 

Over the course of the next month, Ben tried to let it not affect him. He really did. It was what Rey wanted. It was what Rey _needed_. He thought it would get easier with time. It didn’t. The closer prom got, the worse the ache in his chest whenever he thought about it got.

 

Part of him thought the way he was feeling was absolutely ridiculous. It was just prom. In the grand scheme of things, it was just prom. On the other hand, it was _prom_ — the pinnacle of one’s high school career. At least, that’s what movies and TV had led Ben to believe. Maybe Rey was right, and this wasn’t a big deal. Maybe he was making a mountain out of a molehill, but nevertheless that was how Ben felt.

 

The good news was, Rey was attending a prom after party being thrown by their mutual friend, Poe Dameron. His parents were _conveniently_ not going to be home the weekend of prom, so he was throwing the gathering _everyone_ was apparently going to be at. At least he might have a chance at talking to her in public.

 

When the day of prom arrived, it was pure torture. Ben didn’t really enjoy the actual dance. Mainly, he sat in his seat and glared at the revelry unfolding around him with a sour expression.

 

For her part, Rey was enjoying herself dancing with her friends. Ben, despite his sour mood, was completely enraptured with how fucking beautiful she looked in her green dress. The way it hugged her soft curves made Ben ache to reach out and touch her. He couldn’t, and that just made his mood even worse.

 

The dance wrapped up and Ben and some of his teammates moved to the after party. Ben found a spot by the pool in a pool chair and made himself comfortable. Poe had put on some music from his iPod and everyone, including Rey and her friends, went crazy when “Gasolina” began playing.

 

Jessika Pava, a girl who’d been shamelessly flirting with Ben all year, sauntered over to where Ben was sitting, grabbed his hand and pulled him over to the dance floor, in spite of his protests. He halfheartedly danced with her, it was a party after all, but his eyes kept flitting over to Rey. She was only dancing a few feet away from him, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

 

Jessika clearly didn’t appreciate his lack of interest because she stopped trying to dance with Ben and went to dance with her friends. Ben turned to go sit back down and nearly ran into Rey. The smile from her face quickly faded as they were inches from each other’s bodies. Ben’s hand moved of its own volition toward Rey’s waist like he’d done so many times before when they were alone.

 

Rey gasped at the contact and Ben’s heart sank. She’d never done that before. He was also not prepared for what she did next.

 

_Thwack._

 

The sting of her hand landed across his face. Did she just slap him? Yes, she most certainly did. Are people staring at them right now? Yep, they sure are. Had the music stopped? Yep, it had.

 

He looked up at Rey. She was looking at him with a mixture of disgust and horror. She held his gaze for a few seconds. She then turned on her heels and ran out of the Dameron backyard. Rey’s friend Rose was hot on her heels, calling after her. Ben followed suit, running behind the two girls. By the time he caught up with Rey, her car was peeling away from the curb and speeding away.

 

_Excellent fucking work, Solo._

  


**September 2007**

 

Ben hadn’t heard from Rey since prom night. Neither of them tried to reach out to the other. Ben didn’t want to be the first one to reach out. He didn’t think Rey wanted to hear from him and if he were in her position, he wouldn’t blame her. She’d asked him for one thing and he’d ignored her wishes. He felt it was better if he left her alone.

 

He was sitting in his dorm room contemplating everything that had taken place with Rey. He wondered if she’d still gone through with coming to Syracuse. He wondered if he should try to find her somehow, but to what point and purpose? She probably wouldn’t want to see him anyway.

 

The spiral of fatalistic thoughts continued to swirl until a knock at his door snapped him out of it. Her groaned as he got up from his bed. It was probably his roommate who was forever forgetting his keys.

 

He opened the door without looking to see who it was. “Forget your…”

 

He stopped speaking abruptly when he saw who was at the door. Hazel eyes. Chestnut hair. Standing just over five and a half feet. _Rey_.

 

“Hey,” was all she could manage.

 

“Hey,” he replied, dumbfounded that she was even here.

 

“Ben, I know I have no right to be here, but I’m asking for your forgiveness. I shouldn’t have slapped you. That was _so_ wrong of me, I humiliated you, and I’m sorry,” she said, almost all in one breath, then looked down at the floor.

 

Ben paused for a moment. “I’m sorry, too. You asked for one thing and I didn’t respect you.”

 

Still not looking up, Rey snorted. “Guess we both fucked up.”

 

“Yeah,” Ben breathed.

 

Rey finally looked up and extended her hand for a handshake. “Do over?”

 

Ben chuckled as he grabbed her hand. He pulled her in for a hug and kissed the crown of her head. “Do over.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/em_is_writing)
> 
> [My Tumblr](https://www.tumblr.com/blog/em-is-writing)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue is here, ladies and gents! Please enjoy and thank you for your support.
> 
> Thank you Daga for this prompt. Thank you KTF and Nic for beta’ing this! 
> 
> 💜

**April 2008**

 

_ Five  _

 

Ben stepped up to the free throw line. Rey bit her lip.  _ Come on, Ben _ , she thought. 

 

_ Four _

 

He raised the ball over his head and released. 

 

_ Three  _

 

_ Two _

 

_ One  _

 

The buzzer sounded just as the ball swished perfectly through the net. Syracuse’s bench emptied and all the players ran out on the court to congratulate their newest hero, Ben Solo. Rey was so proud of him she could almost cry. They’d just won the NCAA tournament in spectacular fashion. Rey couldn’t help but think as she watched the revelry unfold that it was very fitting. Everything that had happened to her and Ben was dramatic in nature and winning this tournament was no exception. 

 

“You better get down there!” one of the other player’s girlfriends said to her as she ran past Rey to get down to the court. 

 

Rey ran down the steps and made quick work of getting to Ben. It was just like something out of a movie when they found each other. He swooped her up his arms and spun her around. A TV camera captured the tender moment and Rey from June of last year would have been amazed at the growth current Rey was displaying.

 

As their lips met in a kiss, Rey knew she deserved this. She deserved how good Ben was to her. The past few months hadn’t been sunshine and rainbows, but that was life. Rey was now learning to let the good in and embrace it. Embrace Ben. Embrace her college indepence. Embrace life. 

 

And life was good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Come say hi on Twitter or Tumblr. I’m @em_is_writing on both 💜


End file.
